say YES to yourself! | Midlife Reinvention: Real Stories, Bold Moves

Wendy Harrop

Say YES to Yourself! is a top midlife podcast for women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are reinventing their lives and navigating major life transitions.  This podcast is for you if you're asking: 1. Why do I feel lost as a woman in midlife? 2. Who am I now that my kids are grown and I have an empty nest? 3. Is it too late to reinvent myself in my 40s or 50s? 4. How do I rebuild after a divorce or a major life change? 5. Why do I feel guilty for wanting more for myself in midlife? 6. How do I stop people-pleasing and start putting myself first? 7. How do women reinvent themselves after caregiving or burnout? 8. How do I rebuild confidence and trust myself again in midlife? 9. How do I navigate a midlife transition without losing myself? 10. How do I make a career pivot in midlife that actually feels aligned? Each week, host Wendy Harrop interviews inspiring women who are reinventing their lives in midlife. From career changes and creative pursuits to empty nest transitions and personal breakthroughs, you'll hear real stories of midlife transformation, courage, and joy. Topics include: midlife reinvention, starting over after 40, second chapter living, empty nest syndrome, midlife career change, women's empowerment, personal growth for women over 50, midlife transitions, rebuilding after divorce, and finding yourself again in midlife. Say YES to Yourself! is for midlife women ready to shed outdated expectations, rewrite their stories, and put themselves first—without guilt or apology. Your best chapter starts now.

  1. 8h ago

    Stop Telling Your Old Story: How Self-Talk Heals Unworthiness | Kristine Jensen

    Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself! In this episode, Wendy sits down with Kristine Jensen, a psychotherapist who spent 35+ years helping clients heal shame, while carrying a deep sense of unworthiness herself. After closing her practice and moving to the California coast, she finally became her own client. What she discovered: shame is foundational, not superficial. It's not embarrassment or guilt. It's a survival mechanism rooted in childhood, where you learned to collapse, comply, and hide in order to feel safe. And it shapes everything. They explore: Shame vs. other emotions: the misunderstood feeling that keeps women small, quiet, and disempoweredSelf-soothing internal dialogue: the practice children with healthy self-esteem learn early, and what happens when you have to teach it to yourself as an adultStop telling your old story: why repeatedly reliving trauma reinforces neural pathways, and how moving toward who you're becoming shifts everythingThe work isn't about understanding what happened to you. It's about learning to talk to yourself the way you'd talk to someone you love. Building an internal vocabulary of self-encouragement. Getting tired of your old story so you can create a new one. This is how unworthiness heals. Connect with Kristine: kristine-jensen.com Facebook: facebook.com/kristinebjensenauthor LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristine-jensen-203a09129/ Get her book, Bruised Not Broken: amazon.com/Bruised-Not-Broken-Troubled-Childhood/dp/B0DZ2PZN37?tag=syty-20 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Wendy: Linkedin Instagram: @wendy.harrop Facebook: Phineas Wright House Website: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm Stays PWH Curated Experience and Travel Interested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.com Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat! If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

  2. 5d ago

    Sustainable Doesn't Have to Suck: Building a Beauty Brand on Integrity, Not Influencers | Kate Assaraf

    Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself! In this episode, Wendy sits down with Kate Assaraf, founder of Dipped—a plastic-free shampoo and conditioner bar company born from 20 years in the beauty industry and a decade of frustration. In 2014, Kate discovered something most people don't know: plastic is way more problematic than the average consumers know. Recycling is a farce. Plastic leaches chemicals into our bloodstream and messes with our endocrine systems. But instead of guilt-tripping people into sustainability, she built something radical: a product so good, people switch for quality and savings first, then realize it's plastic-free as a bonus. They explore: Why most sustainable beauty products fail: they're made for a specific avatar (linen-wearing boho) and disappoint people switching from expensive hair careBuilding a brand on integrity, not influencers: no UGC actors, no AI, only actual paying customers. Result: 0.006% return rate.Reinvesting in local economy: money spent at zero-waste stores stays in your community, supports your fire department and schools, brings back face-to-face commerceKate's philosophy is simple: don't guilt people into doing the right thing. Give them really good stuff. Treat smart women like smart women. Let quality and integrity be your marketing. The scaffolding is strong, the messaging is real, and people buy it over and over again. Connect with Kate: DipAlready.com Instagram: instagram.com/dipalready LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kate-assaraf-b25a741a7 Referenced in this Episode: HiBar: hellohibar.com Bite: bitetoothpastebits.com ________________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Wendy: Linkedin Instagram: @wendy.harrop Facebook: Phineas Wright House Website: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm Stays PWH Curated Experience and Travel Interested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.com Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat! If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

  3. Jul 22

    Hustle Culture Isn't Worth It: How to Build Career AND Wellbeing | Jossie Haines

    Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself! In this episode, Wendy sits down with Jossie Haines, a former Apple engineer who led teams on Siri, won a technical Emmy, and looked like she had it all figured out, until she realized the cost. After years in the frenetic tech industry where success equals hours worked and busyness is a badge of honor, she left. Then she took six months off and discovered something radical: she didn't have to keep living that way. They explore: Why hustle culture is a lie: career success doesn't have to come at the cost of your nervous systemPractical tools that actually work: worry dumps, scheduled worry time, and nervous system regulationHow to build both: the career success AND the personal wellbeing, not choosing between themJossie's work now centers on helping people, especially high-achievers in tech, understand that both sides of the equation matter. Burnout isn't inevitable. Your nervous system can be regulated even while you're doing ambitious work. It just takes intention, tools, and permission to step away from the myth that productivity equals worth. Connect with Jossie: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jossiemann JossieHaines.com Referenced in this Episode: Cake on Tuesday Podcast by Elizabeth Bieniek: podcast.cakeontuesday.com Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine: amazon.com/dp/1608322785?tag=syty-20 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Wendy: Linkedin Instagram: @wendy.harrop Facebook: Phineas Wright House Website: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm Stays PWH Curated Experience and Travel Interested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.com Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat! If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

  4. Jul 17

    Perfectionism and Midlife Transitions: Finding Your Next Chapter | Dawn Pfingsten

    Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself! In this episode, Wendy sits down with Dawn Pfingsten, a beauty and skincare creator who's spent the last decade on social media, and learned that perfectionism is the cage keeping women stuck as a result. Raised in the South with the conditioning to "look good before volleyball practice," she gradually dismantled that cage by showing up authentically: sweaty walks on camera, no-makeup days, real life. But the real story isn't about skincare. It's about seasons. They explore: How perfectionism shifts as you age: in your 20s you judge, but in your 40s and 50s, you assume good intent and give people the benefit of the doubtLife has seasons, not failures: parenting phases, empty nests, marriage evolution aren't bad, they're just different, and you get to choose if you'll find good in the next phaseThe power of following what feels right over what's shiny: roadblocks often mean "this way," and sometimes you have to try something to know if it's not for youWhen her kids started growing up and moving out, Dawn made a choice: intentionally find good in this next chapter or spend 40 years miserable. So she moved to a farmhouse, started raising sheep, and traded her dresses for Target jeans, because she realized she still has so much more life left. Connect with Dawn: Instagram: instagram.com/justdoingmybest Facebook: facebook.com/justdoingmybest YouTube: youtube.com/justdoingmybest Referenced in this Episode: Naturium.com ________________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Wendy: Linkedin Instagram: @wendy.harrop Facebook: Phineas Wright House Website: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm Stays PWH Curated Experience and Travel Interested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.com Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat! If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

  5. Jul 15

    From Rock Bottom to Discovering Your Worth: A Story of Resilience | Sarah Barnes-Humphrey

    Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself! In this episode, Wendy sits down with Sarah Barnes-Humphrey about what happens when your entire life plan disappears overnight. Ten days before her 37th birthday, the family business she'd wanted to run since age 16 closed its doors. Job gone. Title gone. Future gone. It was the worst day of her life, but she didn't stay there. They explore: When you lose everything, you discover what you're actually made of, and how resilience looks less like inspiration and more like showing up brokenThe moment someone told her the work was worth $1,000 and she believed it: how discovering your worth changes everythingThe ongoing battle: autoimmune disease, panic attacks since her 20s, a dysregulated nervous system, but continuing to say yes to what matters anywaySarah's story isn't about bouncing back perfectly or finding the silver lining. It's about climbing out of rock bottom while still carrying the wounds. It's about rebuilding while your body and mind are still fighting. It's raw, honest, and real. Connect with Sarah: Get her book, I Buried Her in a French Press: amazon.com/Buried-Her-French-Press-Finding/dp/1544549466?tag=syty-20 Instagram: instagram.com/sarahbarneshumphrey LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahbarneshumphrey BlendedPledge.org SarahBarnesHumphrey.com Podcasts: sarahbarneshumphrey.com/content Referenced in this Episode: On Our Best Behavior by Elise Loehnen: amazon.com/dp/059324303X/?tag=syty-20 Lewis Howes Podcast: lewishowes.com/sogpodcast ________________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Wendy: Linkedin Instagram: @wendy.harrop Facebook: Phineas Wright House Website: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm Stays PWH Curated Experience and Travel Interested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.com Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat! If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

  6. Jul 10

    How to Say No Without Guilt: Breaking Patterns and Reclaiming Your Voice | Angela Burk

    Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself! In this episode, Wendy sits down with Angela Burk, author of The Real Girl's Guide to Midlife. Angela spent decades saying yes to everything—yes to things she didn't want to do, yes to explanations and justifications, yes to everyone else's needs before her own. Then she hit a wall. Not one explosive moment, but a gradual awareness that she'd lost parts of herself in the process of trying to be everything to everyone. So she started saying no. And her life changed. They explore: How saying no is actually saying yes to yourself, and why "no" is a complete sentence that needs no explanationBreaking patterns rooted in decades of modeled behaviors and old stories about who you're supposed to beThe simple power of speaking your truth out loud: even saying it to yourself in an empty room interrupts a thought pattern and shifts your entire trajectoryAngela's philosophy centers on one core truth: you are not broken; you've just been operating from old blueprints. Midlife is an invitation to get real about what's working and what isn't. Rest isn't weakness. Boundaries aren't selfish. Your voice matters. And the messy middle part—the part nobody talks about—is where the actual transformation happens. Connect with Angela: Get her book, Real Girls Guide to Midlife: Hot Takes, True Stories, and Fearless Advice from Women Who’ve Lived It & Experts Who Get It: amazon.com/Real-Girls-Guide-Midlife-Fearless/dp/1959009338?tag=syty-20 realgirlsguidetomidlife.com Instagram: instagram.com/realgirlsguide55/ Referenced in this Episode: Episode 281: Aging Gracefully Vs. Aging Helplessly | Dr. Sofia Din: buzzsprout.com/1872382/episodes/18782263  A Widow's Fire: An Intimate Memoir of Heartbreak, Survival, and Moving Forward by Diane Pike Heiler: amazon.com/Widows-Fire-Intimate-Heartbreak-Survival/dp/B0F67HJ3HW ________________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Wendy: Linkedin Instagram: @wendy.harrop Facebook: Phineas Wright House Website: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm Stays PWH Curated Experience and Travel Interested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.com Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat! If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

  7. Jul 8

    Reinvention as a Way of Life: Following the Call Across Countries and Careers | Karla Freeman

    Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself! In this episode, Wendy sits down with Karla Freeman, a therapist, somatic experiencing practitioner, writer, filmmaker, artist, tango dancer, and playwright. Karla's life is a masterclass in reinvention. She's lived in 5 countries, traveled to 40, and built multiple careers—each one aligned with creativity and transformation. But her story isn't about constantly running. It's about saying yes. To imagination. To calls. To the next chapter, even when the current one is beautiful. They explore: How discovering your voice and realizing you have insight worth sharing changes everythingReinvention as a spiritual practice: following the call even when you have to leave wonderful things behindLiving outside the box and what happens when you stop trying to fit into your family of origin's moldKarla's philosophy is simple: fall down, get up, do it wrong long enough to learn the lesson. She's been a social worker, therapist, dancer, writer, and now a playwright—gathering all her experiences into one piece. She's lived in Brooklyn, Manhattan, California, Argentina, and Ecuador. She's followed her teachers, her instincts, and her imagination. And she's discovered that the universe supports the people brave enough to say yes. Connect with Karla: KarlaFreemanStoryteller.com Get her book, Creating Magic in Midlife: 101 Questions and Answers to Reinvent Your Work, Relationships, and Life!: amazon.com/Creating-Magic-Midlife-Questions-Relationships/dp/0976554003?tag=syty-20 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Wendy: Linkedin Instagram: @wendy.harrop Facebook: Phineas Wright House Website: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm Stays PWH Curated Experience and Travel Interested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.com Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat! If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

  8. Jul 3

    Your Body's Messages: Healing Ancestral Trauma and Rising to the Next Level | Edit B. Kiss

    Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself! In this episode, Wendy sits down with Edit B. Kiss, a holistic mentor, success habit coach, #1 bestselling author, Humanitarian Award winner, and international speaker. Edit specializes in guiding individuals from misery to peace within 30 days by integrating ancient healing techniques with neuroscience. After a 15-year career in petroleum engineering, she pivoted to holistic healing—a transformation that exemplifies everything she teaches: that evolution is possible at any stage, and that your body's messages are invitations to rise to the next level. They explore: How physical symptoms and dis-ease are signals you're meant to grow and release what's holding you backThe power of ancestral and karmic healing: understanding how past wounds shape current struggles, and how releasing those stuck energies opens new creative channels and possibilitiesRecognizing synchronicities and signs from the universe as affirmation you're on the right path, and learning to surrender rather than force outcomesEdit's philosophy centers on continuous evolution. You don't have one purpose in life; you have many, and they shift as you grow. When you stop resisting and start surrendering, when you release the stuck emotions from old memories and honor what your body is telling you, that's when the magic happens. That's when you rise to the next level. Connect with Edit: EditBKiss.com Instagram: instagram.com/editbkiss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/editbkiss YouTube: youtube.com/@MagicalKarmaPriestess Her Books: amazon.com/stores/author/B08JYN71X3/allbooks Referenced in this Episode: The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks: www.amazon.com/Big-Leap-Conquer-Hidden-Level/dp/0061735361?tag=syty-20 Jessica Hickman-Woolcott's Appearance on the SYTY Podcast: buzzsprout.com/1872382/episodes/16767951 Cognac Jewellery School: cognacjewelleryschool.com ________________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Wendy: Linkedin Instagram: @wendy.harrop Facebook: Phineas Wright House Website: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm Stays PWH Curated Experience and Travel Interested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.com Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat! If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

5
out of 5
90 Ratings

About

Say YES to Yourself! is a top midlife podcast for women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are reinventing their lives and navigating major life transitions.  This podcast is for you if you're asking: 1. Why do I feel lost as a woman in midlife? 2. Who am I now that my kids are grown and I have an empty nest? 3. Is it too late to reinvent myself in my 40s or 50s? 4. How do I rebuild after a divorce or a major life change? 5. Why do I feel guilty for wanting more for myself in midlife? 6. How do I stop people-pleasing and start putting myself first? 7. How do women reinvent themselves after caregiving or burnout? 8. How do I rebuild confidence and trust myself again in midlife? 9. How do I navigate a midlife transition without losing myself? 10. How do I make a career pivot in midlife that actually feels aligned? Each week, host Wendy Harrop interviews inspiring women who are reinventing their lives in midlife. From career changes and creative pursuits to empty nest transitions and personal breakthroughs, you'll hear real stories of midlife transformation, courage, and joy. Topics include: midlife reinvention, starting over after 40, second chapter living, empty nest syndrome, midlife career change, women's empowerment, personal growth for women over 50, midlife transitions, rebuilding after divorce, and finding yourself again in midlife. Say YES to Yourself! is for midlife women ready to shed outdated expectations, rewrite their stories, and put themselves first—without guilt or apology. Your best chapter starts now.

You Might Also Like